This is my psychiatrist's couch. Take from it what you will.
But do leave a note.
I still am a late middle aged former government worker marking time until the cliff.
Short Fiction, Doggerel and Insensitive Opinion are spoken here.
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Monday, June 30, 2014

Shopping For A Requiem (Blogophilia 18.7)

The clouds seemed to obscure the big orange
box on the side of the road. There isn’t
any money, but that doesn't matter. Hardware and research, it all
fits.Even Odin had to think before
making Askr and Embla. The Toyota responds to his thoughts at pulls across the
highway into the parking lot. Riding up and down the lane, dodging a display of
rhododendrons placed for maximum impulse buying, he wonders where to park.

Slowing down for an elderly man walking towards
his car, he feels the cold fear return. The store looks like a ravenous beast, consuming
all that might enter.Jeremy fights it
back and pulls into a space next to a sign truck. Getting out, he impulsively
looked up to see cameras mounted on every pole.Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders. Just can’t have any privacy anymore.
He headed past the upturned spa at the entrance and went it in.

There was a desk hawking store credit cards
just inside. It brought to Jeremy’s mind the story of Jesus and the Money
Changers.Having the right currency is
so important in this temple, isn’t it?

A petite woman sat behind the desk.Her hair was the same color orange as her
apron.Jeremy wondered it if was part of
the dress code.As he walked by, the
troll asked:

"Can I help you find something?”

"Uh… no. Just looking,
thanks."

The urge to flee to the sanctuary of the
apartment is strong, but he beats it back. Facing the fear is as much a part of
the process as the revenge. Fear shrinks from confrontation.It is time to break their silence.
Forcefully.

Going by the outdoor and seasonal area
makes him faint, the smell of insecticides and fertilizer war with his jumbled
thoughts. Fertilizer...do they sell the right kind? Maybe, but I don't
need that now.Focus. One step at a
time, keep walking.

Lighting fixtures and kitchen appliances
call his name. Come look at me! I
can sanitize your unmentionables! No, I don’t have them. You are useless. I
have a much higher calling. More trolls walking around, waiting to trap him
into giving up his money.

Plumbing department. Yes. That has what he’s looking for.

He spots another orange troll at the head
of the aisle talking to a customer, demonstrating a snake looking tool. Moving
on to the next aisle, faucets and fixtures are lined up in neat rows. They are
soldiers in the war for public attention.Showerheads able to run twenty sequential patterns in two minutes next
to kitchen kits able to deliver hot tea water on demand.Every distraction the modern sheep
needs.In the distance he hears the
rumble of a thunderstorm outside.

The next aisle had what he was looking for,
pipes of all sizes and types. He reaches for a 1" plastic piece, pre
cut to 24 inches. It seemed a bit long, but at $1.80 he could get a bunch
and experiment. He rejected the steel pipe as too heavy.Looking
at some of the repair kits, he realized they were going to be too short and too
thin. He scratched a couple of notes on his sheet of paper. Just as
he finished, the troll ask him if he found what he needed.

"Yes, I did. Thanks." And
he headed toward the exit.

Leaving in the store in the pouring rain, a
smile came across Jeremy’s face.Another
step accomplished.